


Home for Christmas

by glassesgay



Series: Sanders Sides Holiday Fics 2018 [4]
Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: (nothing actually NSFW), Alternate Universe - Human, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Not Beta Read, Reunions, mentions of abuse, some allusions to sex, vague but happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 05:32:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17074304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glassesgay/pseuds/glassesgay
Summary: Roman comes back to his home town for Christmas after a few years away and runs into his high school sweetheart, Virgil.





	Home for Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> This was requested by anonymous on Tumblr~

Roman sighed as he stopped the rental car in his parents driveway.  He stared at the familiar house in front of him with a look of disdain curling on his lip.

He hadn’t been home in five years, and he never suspected he would ever come back.

Roman worked hard throughout high school to earn money and scholarships for college.  Throughout college, he worked hard at maintaining his grades but also to get enough money to move to New York.  He somehow managed to do it, and found an apartment outside of New York City and found a roommate named Patton.

It had been really rough at first with both him and Patton skipping meals and walking in the snow around the city because he couldn’t afford a taxi.  But then Patton’s boyfriend, Logan, moved in with them, and with three people paying rent, things got a little easier.

After a year in New York, Roman was then finally able to find his footing and got acting gigs.  He suspected if he kept auditioning, he could definitely make his Broadway debut someday.

Driving through his small hometown, memories flooded back to him and none of them were pleasant.  He had been a big-city kid stuck in a small town. Nothing exciting ever happened. They didn’t have a theater.  Their theater program in school was severely underfunded.

His parents never supported him or listened to him or cared.

Roman had to get out.  And that’s what he did.

He told himself he’d never look back.

But one day, out of the blue, his parents called and asked him to come home for Christmas.  Why now, after five years of no contact, Roman didn't know.  He didn't know if they wanted money or wanted him to move back in or what.

Roman had no idea why he said yes.  He half thought to turn back around to the airport.

Instead, he got out the car and grabbed his suitcase from the trunk.  His legs moved on autopilot as he walked towards the front door. The dip in the pathway was there.  Don’t step there, that spot gets really slick with ice. There’s where the concrete steps up.

He stopped and took a deep breath before knocking on the door.  After a few moments the door swung open and there was his mom.

She looked the same.

“Hi, Mom.”

She smiled.  “Roman! It’s so good to see you!”

He was ushered inside his childhood home to see everything was the same. The crack in the window from when Roman threw rocks at is a a kid. The water damage from a leak they took too long to fix.  Scratches on the wood floor from Roman’s toy cars.

Absolutely nothing had changed.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by his dad grasping his shoulder.

“Hey, Dad.”

“Roman.”

“We made your bed,” Roman’s mom said.  “You’re room is all ready.”

Roman gave a curt smile and nodded before walking down the hall to his room.  All the drawings he made with marker as a child were still there. Significantly faded, but still there.  He opened the door, and the only thing different was the bed sheets. Musical posters lined the walls and sheet music littered his desk and floor.  Old monologues were sticking out of one of his drawers. Paint stains littered the carpet in the corner of the room with his easel.

His heart panged in his chest as a wave of bitter nostalgia washed through him.

He didn't miss this room.

He was starting to unpack his suitcase when he remembered something.

He got on his knees and looked under the bed to see an old shoebox hidden against the back wall.  He pulled it out and felt another sharp pang in his chest.

Roman sat down on his bed and looked at the box in his lap.  He took a deep breath before opening it. A small rainbow flag laid on top of stacks of papers.  He placed the flag next to him and continued. Phone numbers for LGBT+ suicide hotlines were written on a scrap piece of notebook paper along with resource websites.  Pamphlets advertising for the school’s small Gay-Straight Alliance. Roman remembered telling his parents he had tutoring after school so he could go to the GSA without him knowing.

There was a rainbow and HRC sticker he never got the courage to put on his laptop.  Informational packets given to him by the GSA about different identities. Invitations for the GSA Christmas parties.  A laminated piece of paper to show his teachers on the Day of Silence to explain why he wasn’t talking.

After he picked up the last piece of paper, he saw a photo of him and his high school boyfriend at the very bottom.  Roman was kissing his cheek while he was laughing. He quickly shoved the papers back on top of it and closed the box.

They had originally tried to keep in touch when Roman went off to college, but since he was a year younger than Roman he was stuck in his senior year of high school as Roman left the state.  Things got in the way and after about a year they lost contact.

A wave of sadness washed over him before bitter anger.  He was angry at the fact he had to hide this from his parents.  He was angry over how much pain this caused him as young, confused, desperate teenager.

He shoved the box back under his bed and went to finish unpacking.

 

Roman's parents asked if he wanted to stay for dinner, but he said he was going to meet somebody.  He assured them he would stay tomorrow, he just wanted to get reacquainted with the town.

He wasn't actually meeting anyone.  He just wanted out of that house.

Roman had parked the rental car in the first parking spot he saw in the little shopping district his town had.  He stepped out and felt another wave of sadness as he decided where to go.

He walked to a little coffee shop he and his boyfriend would visit a lot.  Being in different classes, they couldn’t see each other much at school and neither of them wanted to deal with their parents, so they came here to spend time together and enjoy each others company.  It was his favorite place in town.

(Well, his actual favorite spot had been parked in an abandoned lot in the woods, the two of them together in the backseat of Roman’s car.  But he wasn’t going to admit that.)

He opened the door to walk in when he ran into someone who was trying to leave at the same time.

He went to apologize and froze in his tracks.

Roman couldn’t believe it.

There he was, standing right in front of him.

Virgil Moore.

They both stared at each other in shock, trying to come up with what to say. They quickly stepped away from the door as someone cleared their throat behind them, annoyed they were blocking the exit.

“I- Virgil,” Roman breathed out.  “It’s so wonderful to see you.”

“I- um- yeah,” Virgil stuttered out.

If anything had changed in this town, it was Virgil.  He had this emo/goth aesthetic he was always too scared to commit to in high school, but here he was in black jeans and a hoodie.  He had had always talked about wanting to paint his nails, and now that Roman saw him with black nail polish he felt a surge of pride go through him.  Not only that, but his hair was _purple_ and he pierced his ears.

He looked incredible.

“Sit with me, please?” Roman asked, eyes wide and hopeful.  Virgil just nodded as he followed Roman to a table.

Roman didn’t even bother getting coffee.  He had bigger priorities now.

“How have you been?  What have you been up to?  I can’t believe it’s been five years.  I’ve missed you. Have you-”

“Slow down, Princey,” Virgil said.  Roman’s heart fluttering at the old nickname.

“How have you been, Virgil?”

Virgil opened his mouth to say something before closing it again.  Eventually he just huffed a defeated sigh and slouched back in his chair.

“As well as I could be in this town, I guess.”

Roman’s smile faltered a bit.

“How about you?”

Roman hesitated to answer, wanting to be careful with his words.  He didn’t have a bad thing to say about his past five years out of this town, and he didn’t want to make Virgil feel worse.

“I want you to tell the truth, Roman,” Virgil eventually said.  “It isn’t going to upset me.”

Roman melted under the sound of his name escaping Virgil’s mouth again as he allowed his smile to widen.

“I’ve been fantastic,” Roman said.  “I live in New York now and everything is going so well.”

“Glad to hear it,” Virgil muttered into his coffee.

“You said you wouldn’t get mad,” Roman said.

“I’m not,” Virgil sighed.  “Jealous, perhaps. But not mad.”

Roman went to say something when Virgil looked at his phone.

“Shit, I’ve got to go home.  My parents are expecting me.”

“You still live with your parents?”

“They haven’t allowed otherwise.”

Roman winced.

“Is your number the same?” Virgil asked.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll text you.”

“You still  have my number memorized?” Roman said, giving Virgil a cheeky smile.  Blush quickly formed on Virgil’s face.

“I’ll see you later, Roman.”

Roman watched as Virgil left, smile wide and heart racing.

 

Roman was giddy as he walked back to his rental car.  He had finally got his coffee and had grabbed a sandwich there too, but all he wanted to do now was go back to his bedroom and wait for Virgil to text him.

After a few hours of lying on his bed and lounging on his laptop, he heard his phone ding on his desk.

He almost threw his laptop off him as he untangled himself from his blankets.

          Unknown Number: roman?

          Roman: Virgil?

          Virgil: yeah

Roman felt his smile grow on his face.

          Roman: It was nice to see you again.

          Virgil: yeah

          Roman: Are you free anytime this week?  I'd like to see you again.

          Virgil: i have work tomorrow but im free the rest of the week for the holidays

          Roman: Want to grab lunch sometime?

They arranged plans, and Roman fell asleep excited, not wanting to wait for the day after tomorrow to come.

 

Virgil groaned as he woken up by the blare of his alarm clock.  He hit the off button and pushed himself up. He shuffled towards the bathroom he shared with his parents.  As he stepped in the shower and let the hot water wash over him, he heard his parents yelling at each other.

So it was going to be one of those days.

As he got ready for work, they kept fighting - their voices getting louder and louder.

Virgil didn’t like that he was used to this.

Eventually, he was finally ready to go and went to grab his wallet, keys, and phone before heading out.

Virgil hated living with his parents.  He was twenty-two. He should have been able to go to college and meet new people and experience new things and get away from this hell town and shitty parents.

Like Roman did.

But he couldn’t.  His parents were controlling and abusive and wouldn’t let him leave.

It wasn’t like Virgil could afford to leave anyways.

Virgil had been working as much as he can to earn enough to make it out of here.  He was so close it was maddening.

As he walked out the front door, his phone dinged.

          Roman: Good morning~

Virgil felt heat rise in his face.  Roman used to always send him good morning texts when they were dating.

Virgil didn't know what to make of all this.  He and Roman were dating, then Roman went off to do bigger and better things while Virgil was stuck here.

And then out of the blue, Roman just shows up again and wants to act like nothing happened.

Did Virgil even _want_ to reconnect with Roman?  Sure, they were crazy about each other in high school, but they were only teenagers.

Roman had changed.  He was taller, tanner, more fit, and more put together. But the most recognizable thing was how confident he seemed.  None of that fake confidence he put up in high school, but genuine confidence.

Virgil couldn’t deny how happy that made him to see Roman like that.  Especially after how the numerous times Virgil had to comfort Roman, trying to make him see past his self doubts and see how amazing he was.

He couldn’t deny that part of him wanted to see Roman again.  What are the odds they run into each other?

So Virgil texted Roman a quick “hey” before getting in his car and driving to work.

 

Virgil worked at a clothing store, and working retail _sucked_.  His manager sucked, the owner sucked, most of the customers sucked, and even the clothes there sucked.

It sucked.

Virgil couldn’t get on his phone until his lunch break, and that’s when he saw Roman had texted him.

Repeatedly.

         Roman: I hope you're doing well this morning~  
                      It was so strange to sleep in my bedroom again.  
                      Remember all those times you stayed the night?  Those were nice.  
                      I'm excited to see you.

Virgil's face got red.  He wished Roman would stop talking about when they dated.

And god, how could Virgil forget.  He'd bring a sleeping bag to let Roman's parents think it was a normal sleepover, but as soon as Roman's parents went to bed he'd cuddle up with Roman on his bed.

They never dared to do much since Roman's parents were right across the hall, but some of their most tender moments were shared in his bedroom, with Roman's arms wrapped tightly around him.

Virgil shook his head.

          Roman: I hope I'm not bothering you with all these texts.  
                       Oh wait I forgot you had work  
                       I hope work isn't too bad today

          Virgil: im on my lunch break now  
                    i see you still talk too much

          Roman: Hey!  
                       Do not.  
                       Seriously though - you doing okay?

          Virgil: as well as i can be in retail

          Roman: ouch

Virgil walked into the Taco Bell and put his phone in his pocket to order.  Once he sat down with his food, he saw Roman had continued to text him a lot.

         Roman: I hope everything's okay.  
                      I never asked, where do you work?  
                      When I left you were working at McDonald's, but it doesn't sound like you work there anymore.

          Virgil: a boutique filled with too much turquoise and paisley

          Roman: Sounds fun.  
                       Remember when I tried to work fast food but got fired for arguing with customers too much?

          Virgil: how could i forget  
                    you used to get us both in trouble

          Roman: Haha, sorry.

Virgil was scared by how easy it was to talk to Roman.  Things were so different now. Roman was so different now.   _He_ was so different now.

But they were talking like Roman never left.

 

The next day, Roman got up early.  After a painfully slow day with his parents, he was ready to see Virgil again.

They had a lot of catching up to do.

Roman whistled happily as he walked out the front door, spinning his key ring on his finger.

Virgil was adamant they had not meet at the same coffee shop.  Roman had suspected it had something to do with how much time they spent there together in high school.  So they decided to meet in a nearby bakery.

Virgil was already there, shaking his leg and twisting his hoodie string.  It was a nervous tick he had in high school, and Roman thought it was cute that he kept it all these years.  Virgil saw him walk towards the table and waved.

“Hey.”

“Hey, yourself,” Roman said as he sat down.  “How are you?”

“Fine,” Virgil shrugged.  “You?”

“Fantastic, now,” Roman said as he pulled the chair closer to the table.

“...Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Cause you look more beautiful than I remember,” Roman grinned.

Virgil’s cheeks turned a dark red.

“Oh, shut up,” Virgil muttered.

“Tell me everything that’s happened since I left,” Roman said.

“Not much,” Virgil admitted.  “You left, I finished my senior year of high school.  I got a job at this dumb little boutique, trying to earn enough to leave.  My parents won’t let me get an apartment of my own, so I’m planning on leaving one day without telling them.”

“Where?”

Virgil shrugged.  “Anywhere. Away.”

They stopped talking as a waitress came to take their order.

“What have you been doing since you left?” Virgil asked.

“Well, obviously, I went to college.  Those four years went by so quickly, Virgil.”

“Tell me everything about it,” Virgil said suddenly, eyes bright.  “I’ll never get to go, so I want to hear about your experiences.”

This caught Roman by surprise, but he smiled and relaxed in his chair.

“Yeah, alright.  Well, my freshman year started with a roommate named Jacob.  He was the _worst_.  But I met some great people, too.  Valerie, for starters. She was also a musical theater major.”

They stopped talking as the waitress gave them their drinks.

“I met Damien that year.  He’s majoring in theatrical makeup.  He’s a snarky asshole, but we love him anyways,” Roman continued.  “My sophomore year my roommate was Remy. Oh, god, imagine the sassiest gay guy you know.  He’s sassier. We stayed roommates for the rest off college. He’s one of my best friends. He later introduced me to his boyfriend Emile who’s studying to be a therapist.  He’s great, if not a bit too obsessed with cartoons. Even more so than myself.

Classes were hard, but god, all my theater courses were a _dream_.  My sophomore year I slacked off a bit in my studies because Remy always knew where the next party was.  I was, uh, pretty crazy that year.”

“Oh?” Virgil asked.  “Roman? A party animal?  Never saw it coming,” he teased.  Roman stuck his tongue out.

Roman continued to talk about his best experiences.  The parties, the performances, the times spent with friends.

While Virgil was happy to see Roman had a good time, it also left a bitter taste in his mouth to know he missed out on so much.

Roman let it slip that he dated somebody.  He snapped his mouth shut and looked at Virgil with scared, wide eyes as he waited for a reaction.

“You dated?” Virgil asked.

“But none of them lasted very long,” Roman said quickly.  “They were fun, sure, but ultimately they didn’t mean anything.”

“It’s not a big deal, Roman.  We aren’t dating anymore,” Virgil said.

Roman stopped breathing

“Yeah, you’re right,” he whispered, staring at the floor.

“I mean, I dated a couple of guys while you were gone,” Virgil said.

Silence.  Virgil knew that wasn’t what Roman wanted to hear, but it was something that needed to be acknowledged.

“Do you think…” Roman started slowly.  “We could ever get back together?”

That was the question Virgil had been dreading.  He took a deep breath before it was his turn to stare at the floor.

“I don’t know, Roman.  I really don’t know. Let’s just see go through this week, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Roman said softly.

“So what are you doing now?” Virgil asked.

“I live in New York,” Roman said, trying to build up the same energy he had earlier.  “I’m rooming with my friends Patton and Logan. Damien, Remy, Emile, and I all keep in touch regularly.  I’ve gotten a couple of acting gigs and if everything keeps going as well as it is now I’ll definitely be able to make my Broadway debut someday.”

“Make sure you get me tickets for that,” Virgil said.  "You never shut up about Broadway in high school.  I'd like to see all that carrying on was for  _something_."

“Of course,” Roman laughed.

 

The week went by too quickly.  While Roman made sure to spend as much time with Virgil as possible, it was never enough.  Roman had scheduled to leave the day after Christmas, but now Roman was regretting that decision.

Near the end of the week, Virgil finally agreed to meet Roman back in the coffee shop.  So here they were, talking and laughing just like they used to.

Roman was happy to see Virgil was just as comfortable around him now as he used to be.

He also couldn't ignore the blushes and soft gazes on Virgil's face, just as Virgil couldn't ignore the ones on Roman's.

"Oh my god!  I can't believe you did that!" Virgil laughed.  Roman smiled and shrugged.

"I was 19, drunk, and stupid."

Virgil continued to laugh for a bit before stopping, wiping tears from his eyes.

“I forgot how much I missed this,” Roman whispered. “I forgot how much I missed you.”

“Roman…” Virgil started.

“I don’t think my feelings for you ever went away completely,” Roman said.  “They just started to fade. And maybe after five years that’s really pathetic, but I don’t care.”

“Roman, I-”

“And I don’t want to leave this town until I know what you’re feelings towards me are right now,” Roman finished.

“I- I don’t know.  I’d like to, but I don’t know,” Virgil admitted.  “It’s been _five years_ Roman.  So much has changed and- and we have so much we’d have to talk about-”

“Let’s talk, then,” Roman pleaded.  Virgil was starting to get panicky, so Roman backed off a bit.

“I- I don’t want to talk where people could hear us,” Virgil admitted.

“...Let’s go to that spot in the woods,” Roman said.

“ _Roman!_ ” Virgil hissed.

“No, no!  Not like that,” Roman clarified.  “Where we know for certain no one else is around.  It’ll just be us two. We don’t have to worry about anything else but ourselves.

Virgil hesitated for a few moments.  “Fine, yeah. Let’s just go.”

Roman led Virgil out of the coffee shop and into the rental car.   Virgil was silent the who car ride, making Roman nervous.

 

As Roman drove down the bumpy dirt roads, he noticed Virgil was biting his nails.  A bad habit he tried to drop in high school and only resorted to when he was really nervous.

Roman parked and they both just stared ahead.

“What’s bothering you, Virge?” Roman asked, pulling out his high school nickname for Virgil.  

Virgil huffed and got out of the car.  Roman quickly followed as they went to sit on the trunk.

They both stared straight ahead for a few moments.

"I'll go first," Roman offered.  Virgil said nothing.  "I was devastated when you stopped answering my texts, but I also understood.  It's hard to maintain a long distance relationship at such a young age.

But we're older now.  And with more life experience, I know we had something really special, Virgil."

Roman was getting choked up and had to pause for a moment.  Virgil looked down at the ground.

"And seeing you after five years really made me realize that.  This past week has been  _amazing_.  And I know things would be different now, but that doesn't mean it won't be great.  Based on this week alone, I think we could really make this work."

Roman took a shaky breath.  Virgil reached out and placed a hand on Roman's knee.  Roman placed a hand over Virgil's, and they both sat in silence for a few  minutes.  Not awkward, not peaceful.  Just silent.

"When you left," Virgil started, voice sounding really loud after pure silence.  "I was completely alone.  I felt abandoned.  I understand now that it isn't your fault and I would have taken the same chance you did.  But at the time I was angry.  I had no other friends in that school or anyone else I trusted, Roman."

Roman squeezed Virgil's hand as he took a deep breath.

"You were so excited about everything.  You were having a great time while I was just stuck.  I was so  _angry_ that I would never get the chance to go to college.  So I thought I was angry at  _you_.  I quickly found out I wasn't angry at you, but at myself and my parents and basically everything else.  But not you.  Never you.  So that anger devolved into self-hatred.  This was my fault.  I deserved to be alone.  I thought you didn't deserve to deal with my sorry ass anymore, so I stopped answering your calls and texts."

They were both close to tears now.

"Virgil, darling, I-"

"And I shouldn't have done that.  How much did I take away from us?  Five years of what could have been happiness."

"Virgil, I-"

"And I guess I'm still angry and jealous, but not at you.  Because I'm stuck in this town when all I want is to leave.  I want to leave this town and be free of everything this town did to me."

"...How are your parents?" Roman asked.  His mind flashed back to all the times Roman helped Virgil after he came to Roman's house covered in scrapes and bruises.  The times he had to hold Virgil while he cried because of his parent's cruel words.  The times Virgil had to sneak into Roman's bedroom window because his parents kicked him out for the night.

Roman would never forgive them.

"The physical abuse stopped as I got older.  But shit, Roman,.  The verbal and emotional has only gotten worse."

"Virgil, I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry I didn't try harder to reconnect with you.  I knew what you were stuck with, but I didn't try harder to help you," Roman said.  The tears they were both holding back escaped their eyes.

"Jesus, Roman.  Don't cry or you're gonna make it worse," Virgil said, wiping away his own tears.

"Sorry," Roman muttered as he wiped his eyes.

"I want to leave," Virgil whispered, staring at the woods in front of them.  "I want to leave so badly.  I want to go out and show my art and my stories to the world.  I want the same opportunities you had, Roman.  I'm trying so hard to leave but I'm just... scared.  Scared I'll go somewhere else and nothing will change.  I'll still be pathetic and I'll still be alone."

Silence fell between them.  The sky was starting to grow dark around them as the air grew colder.

"...Come back with me."

"What?"

"Come back with me to New York," Roman said, more insistent this time as he turned more towards Virgil.  Virgil stared at him.

"I- I-"

"My roommates won't mind.  With another person paying rent, it'll just make things easier.  And- and I'll let you take my room and I'll stay on the couch, I don't care.  I can help you find a job and I can show you all my favorite places and-"

"Roman I can't just  _leave_ with you."

"Why not?  You'd finally have  _freedom_ , Virgil!  You can have the opportunities to get your art and creations out there!"

Virgil looked overwhelmed, so Roman reached out and gently put Virgil's hands in his, holding them to his chest.  "I know it's sudden and I know it's a lot, but I promise you that I'll be with you every step of the way."

"This is crazy," Virgil whispered.

"Probably."

"You're crazy."

"Definitely."

"We met for the first time in five years a week ago.  I can't just-  I- I mean I want- I-"

"I'll let you think about it," Roman said.  "I'm still in town for a few more days.  And if you still haven't made up your mind by then, I'll wait for your answer in New York.  And if you say yes, I'll come down and get you.

"This could be the dumbest decision I'll ever make in my life."

"Doesn't that make it more exciting?" Roman asked, eyes twinkling.

"I'll think about it," Virgil sighed as he took his hands out of Roman's.

 

The next day, Virgil and Roman met up again.  To Virgil’s relief, Roman didn’t mention the offer.  Not the next day, nor the next.

They just hung out together like everything was normal, and that’s exactly what Virgil wanted.

 

Christmas was painful.  Roman's parents asked him to spend the entire day with him, but Roman really just wanted to see Virgil.

Roman still couldn’t tell what his parents wanted.  Were they trying to sweeten him up with Christmas to ask for something?  Or were they genuinely wanting to reconnect with their son?

Roman had no idea.

Roman went through the motions and was nice and grateful.  If his mother was anything, she was a really good cook, so he had that going for him that day.

All in all, it was just as he expected.

It was late at night when he got a call from Virgil.

"Hey, Virgil.  What's-"

"Roman?  Where are you?" Virgil asked, voice shaking.  Roman could hear him struggling to breath, and Roman knew exactly what was happening.

"Hey, hey, Virgil.  Remember the breathing exercises you learned.  Good, good.  You're doing so good, Virge.  It's okay.  Everything's okay," Roman said, relief washing over him as he heard Virgil's breath become more steady.  "What happened?"

"My dad- he- _fuck_."

"Do you need to come over?" Roman offered.

Silence.

"Yeah," Virgil said quietly.

"My parents are about to go to bed, so-"

"I'll come in your window," Virgil finished.

"I'll see you soon," Virge."

"Yeah," Virgil said before hanging up.

 

About ten minutes later there was a light tapping on the window.  Roman went to open it, struggling a bit against the resistance due to lack of use, but eventually opened it.  Virgil immediately fell into Roman’s arms and buried his head into Roman’s chest. Roman let Virgil hug him as he closed the window again before turning all his attention to Virgil.

“What happened?” Roman whispered.  Virgil was struggling to keep his sobs silent as he knew his parents might hear.

“My dad and I got in a fight,” Virgil muttered into Roman’s chest.  “And I got so angry I told him I was leaving to New York.”

Virgil was getting worked up again so Roman shushed him as he led them to the bed to sit down.

“And- and he just, lost it,” Virgil said. “He tried to beat me for the first time in years.  And when I grabbed his arm to stop him he started yelling all sorts of shit. And the worst part was that all the memories of this happened in the past came back at once, making me have an anxiety attack, and I ran outside and called you and I just-”

Roman shushed him gently.  “It’s okay. You’re here now.  Nothing’s going to happen to you anymore.”

Roman gently removed Virgil's arms from around him.  Virgil didn't object as they've been through these motions many times before, five years ago.  Roman got a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants and offered them to Virgil.  Virgil changed in front of Roman with no problem, having done it countless times before, five years ago.

Roman climbed into bed and Virgil climbed in next to him.  Roman was hesitant to wrap his arms around Virgil, but Virgil curled up next to him, resting his head on the crook of Roman's neck.

"I never told you, but I did miss you," Virgil whispered as Roman pulled the blankets over them, warm breath on Roman's neck.  "And it made me really happy to see you again."

"And I'm going to New York with you.  Even though you're crazy."

"You make me crazy."

"And you make me stupid."

Roman laughed at that but quickly caught himself and glanced towards the door.

"It's really like we're in high school again," Virgil muttered.  Virgil then adjusted himself so he was propped up on his elbow and looking directly at Roman.

"I think we can make this work," Virgil whispered.  "It'll be different, and not always easy, but I think we can do this.  I'm willing to work for it if you are."

"My darling, I'm willing to do anything for you," Roman muttered as he went to move a stray piece of hair from Virgil's face.  Virgil looked at him for a moment before closing the gap between them and connected their lips.

This kiss was softer than any kiss they shared before.  Roman's hand was rested on Virgil's cheek as the kiss deepened, but still just as slow.

Virgil pulled away first, staring at Roman with that adoring look Roman hadn’t seen since high school, causing his heart to jump in his chest.

“I’m really scared, Roman,” Virgil admitted as he laid back down and intertwined their fingers.  “But I trust you.”

 

Roman and Virgil woke up early that morning and got dressed as quickly as possible.  Roman was thankfully able to order Virgil a plane ticket with him to New York.  Roman quickly threw his suitcase back together.  He handed Virgil the car keys to sneak out the window and wait on him while he went to see his parents

He hugged his parents goodbye with the promise to call them in a couple of days, deciding they genuinely wanted to reconnect with him.

It was a holiday of reconnecting.

He couldn't get to Virgil's house fast enough.  He walked into Virgil's bedroom and saw it also hadn't changed much.  Band posters and decor still littered the walls, along with art supplies everywhere and crumpled up papers from failed writing drafts.

He helped Virgil pack his stuff, which was easier than Roman expected as Virgil already knew what he was willing to leave behind (he had been planning his leave for a long time).  Virgil took one last look at his bedroom before grabbing Roman's hand to walk towards the front door.

Virgil's parents were clearly angry, but never tried to intervene.  Probably because Roman was very tall and very fit.

Virgil stopped Roman and the two couples just stared at each other.

Virgil then grabbed Roman's face and kissed him.  When he looked back at his parents, their faces were one of disgust and shock.

That was all the goodbye he was going to grace them with.

Virgil took Roman's hand and let Roman lead him towards the car and towards the unknown.  He was scared, but he felt safe, as all his trust was in Roman again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Requests are open on my Tumblr imlovethomassanders


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